Sermons
Listen, watch or read sermons from Manchester Lutheran Church, and explore them through the Christian year.
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Is following Jesus laughable?
Is following Jesus laughable? It could be family, it could be friends, it could be colleagues, …all of us know people for whom the idea of following Jesus seems laughable. And people in church have often said to me that it feels like the attitudes of people in modern times are so different to people…
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What does it mean to be blessed?
What does it mean to be blessed? There are so many claims about blessing that have hurt so many of us over the years. There’s the raw and crass prosperity gospel: If you have true faith, then you will be healthy and wealthy. Many people are ensnared by that lie. But, many of us are…
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Why are we Lutheran?
Why are we Lutheran? This Thursday is the 31st October, the traditional day when we celebrate the Reformation. And so we have set aside this Sunday to remember that amazing event. Which is a great opportunity to turn to God’s Word for an answer to the one question I get asked most often: Why are…
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How does faith grow?
How does faith grow? Healing services. Amazing miracles. Flashy meetings. Attractive groups: One of the themes of John’s Gospel is the contrast between true faith and false faith. That theme begins after Jesus’ first miracle at Cana in Galilee, which John alludes to by reminding us of it in v. 46, So he came again…
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Why do people reject Jesus?
Why do people reject Jesus? Our Gospel passage today is a story Jesus told in response to the Jewish leaders who had reject him. And Jesus makes the point of the story crystal clear in vv. 1-3: And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a…
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What is Jesus really all about?
What is Jesus really all about? There are all sorts of different people who claim to be “the church” and claim to be preaching the message of Jesus. But, it doesn’t take long to see that these people do not all say the same thing. And the huge variety of different things that different churches…
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What’s the point of life?
What’s the point of life? We chase all sorts of things. There’s so many personal goals we can give ourselves: Being a great footballer. Passing on a legacy. Making a difference to the NHS. Is the point and purpose of your life something that you have to find? Are we all lost until we find…
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What does love look like under the microscope?
What does love look like under the microscope? Our Gospel story today starts with the Pharisees scrutinizing Jesus. Take a look at v. 1: One Sabbath, when [Jesus] went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. The Greek word translated here “watch” means “to give careful…
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What difference do words make?
What difference do words make? There’s a lot of people around us in the UK struggling to feel like talking about things really helps. Record low voter turnout in the election. Riots on the streets. And in our personal lives there’s many ways that it feels like words don’t matter. Some people in our congregation…
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What comforts you when you worry?
What comforts you when you worry? All of us here know what it feels like to be anxious. And Jesus is an amazing pastor, He’s so insightful—he understands how we feel; how we struggle. And in this part of the sermon on the mount, it’s obvious he’s talking about worry. Just look at how often…
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Does your faith work?
Does your faith work? Have you ever been put off by someone who seemed to be a Christian but then didn’t continue or didn’t behave in a way you expect? It can be off putting, can’t it, when people claim to have a Christian faith that doesn’t seem to work in their lives …their faith…